Input device performing near field communication with a mobile device and image forming apparatus

ABSTRACT

Provided is an input device comprising: a touch panel which receives an operation from a user; an external member having an external surface substantially the same as a surface of the touch panel; and a near field communication unit which is provided near the surrounding of the touch panel and inside of the external member and performs communication with an object to be detected which is brought close to a detection range, wherein a position corresponding to the near field communication unit of the external member projects from the touch panel and is inclined such that the side close to the touch panel is higher than the side distant from the touch panel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an input device, and an image formingapparatus such as a facsimile, a copying machine, or a multi-functionperipheral (MFP).

Description of the Related Art

Recently, an operation portion provided with a touch panel has beenincreasingly applied as an input device of an image forming apparatus.Such an operation portion has spread to a compact image formingapparatus which outputs an A4 sheet and expected to be placed on a desk,as well as an image forming apparatus that outputs an A3 sheet.

In addition, a recent trend has been directed to a flat design in whicha step (except for various buttons and keys) on the surface of theoperation portion is eliminated to make the surface of the touch paneland a cover surface of the operation portion flush with each otherwithout having a height difference on the boundary.

There are a variety of types of touch panels, and resistive(pressure-sensitive) touch panels are conventionally the mainstream.However, the changeover to capacitance touch panels, which are operableby lighter touch in response to an electric signal from a person's hand,has been progressing. Touch panels of these types have merits anddemerits. Each of these types is used for each case at present. Forexample, when priority is placed on cost, resistive touch panels areused, and when priority is placed on an operational feeling, capacitancetouch panels are used.

In addition, near field communication (abbreviated to NFC in general)has been increasingly mounted as a recent technology. This technologyenables a variety of authentications from a mobile device such as asmartphone or a tablet, or enables a printing output operation of animage forming apparatus from a mobile device. A target surface that auser faces a mobile device for the NFC is often placed near a touchpanel from the viewpoint of accessibility and easy recognition of inputinformation from the mobile device.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-179311 discloses a technology inwhich a target for the NFC and a touch panel are placed on the sameplane, and an NFC unit performs a process according to receivedinformation while invalidates an operation received by the touch panel.

However, the configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.2015-179311 entails a problem such that, when the mobile device is heldover a target section for NFC detection, the end of the mobile device orthe hand or fingers holding the mobile device might be in touch with thetouch panel, causing an operation which is not intended by the user.

According to the present invention, it is desirable to preventaccidental misoperation on the touch panel caused by the contact withthe mobile device or the hand of the user holding the mobile deviceduring the communication with the mobile device through near fieldcommunication.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An input device according to the present invention includes: a touchpanel configured to receive an operation from a user; a detectionsurface configured to face a mobile device which is brought close to theinput device and serves as an object to which near field communicationis to be performed, wherein the detection surface is arranged adjacentto the touch panel so that the mobile device facing the detectionsurface overlaps the touch panel; and a near field communication unitconfigured to perform the near field communication with the mobiledevice facing the detection surface, wherein the detection surface isinclined with respect to a panel surface of the touch panel so that adistance between the mobile device, which faces the detection surfacefor performing the near field communication and overlaps the touchpanel, and the touch panel is larger than a distance between the mobiledevice which faces the detection surface for performing the near fieldcommunication and the detection surface.

In addition, an input device according to the present inventionincludes: a touch panel configured to receive an operation from a user;a detection surface configured to face a mobile device which is broughtclose to the input device and serves as an object to which near fieldcommunication is to be performed, wherein the detection surface isarranged adjacent to the touch panel so that the mobile device facingthe detection surface overlaps the touch panel; and a near fieldcommunication unit configured to perform the near field communicationwith the mobile device facing the detection surface, wherein thedetection surface is inclined with respect to a panel surface of thetouch panel so that a gap is formed between the mobile device, which isin contact with the detection surface while facing the detectionsurface, and overlaps the touch panel, and the panel surface of thetouch panel.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments with reference to theattached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outer appearance of an image formingapparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the outer appearance of the image formingapparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a front view of an outer appearance of an operation portionaccording to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the outer appearance of the operationportion according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the operation portion according to thefirst embodiment.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are perspective views illustrating a state in which anNFC is used for the operation portion according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an outer appearance of an operationportion according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an outer appearance of an operationportion according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an outer appearance of an operationportion according to a fourth embodiment.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are side views illustrating a detection example of anNFC in the operation portion according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an outer appearance of an operationportion according to a fifth embodiment.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are side views illustrating a detection example of anNFC in the operation portion according to the fifth embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, preferable embodiments of the present invention will beillustratively described in detail with reference to the drawings. Notethat dimensions, materials, and shapes of the components described inthe embodiments below and their relative position are to be changed, asappropriate, according to the configuration to which the presentinvention is to be applied and various conditions. Accordingly, it isnot intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to thoseunless specifically described.

First Embodiment

An embodiment of an image forming apparatus including an input deviceaccording to the present invention will specifically be described withreference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the imageforming apparatus provided with an operation portion serving as an inputdevice according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side view ofan outer appearance of the image forming apparatus provided with theoperation portion.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 100 includes an imageforming apparatus main body 101 that forms an image onto a sheet, suchas a recording sheet, on which an image is to be recorded, and an imagereading apparatus 201 that is mounted above the image forming apparatusmain body 101 to read an image of a sheet, such as an original, which isto be read. The image forming apparatus 100 also includes an operationportion 10 serving as the input device. The operation portion 10 has atouch panel 1 and a near field communication unit (generally abbreviatedto NFC, and hereinafter referred to as NFC) 3. Herein, near fieldcommunication indicates a standard (International Standard: ISO/IEC18092 or ISO/IEC 21481) for performing wireless communication byallowing a mobile device to be close to a target surface with a distanceof about 10 cm.

In an image forming operation by the image forming apparatus 100, animage is firstly stored in the apparatus by the image reading apparatus201 or an unillustrated image input device, such as a personal computer,connected to the apparatus main body. Next, a sheet on which an image isto be recorded is fed, one by one, from a sheet cassette 102 providedbelow the apparatus. The stored image is transferred onto the sheet byan image forming portion in the apparatus, and the sheet is outputtedonto a sheet discharge tray 103.

In this case, various output conditions, such as the number of sheets tobe outputted and an image size, are inputted through the operationportion 10, and the apparatus is controlled based on the inputtedinformation. The operation portion 10 is generally provided above and infront of the apparatus, such as in front of the image reading apparatus201, in most cases, in consideration of easy input. Now, the side wherethe operation portion 10 is provided is defined as a near side (frontside) of the image forming apparatus, and the opposite side is definedas a far side (back side) of the apparatus. Further, one side in thewidth direction orthogonal to the near-far direction of the apparatus isdefined as right, and the other side is defined as left, as viewed fromthe near side of the apparatus.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, when a user touches a panel surface of the touch panel1, information is inputted, and the touch panel 1 receives the operationfrom the user. A cover 2 serving as an external member has an externalsurface substantially the same as the surface of the touch panel 1.Specifically, the touch panel 1 is provided so that the surface thereofis substantially the same as the surface (external surface) of the cover2 of the operation portion 10. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the NFC 3communicates with an object to be detected, such as a mobile device,which is brought close to a detection range (communication distance).The NFC 3 is provided near the surrounding of the touch panel 1 andinside of the cover 2. A detection position (detection surface) 2 a forthe NFC 3 is a position corresponding to the NFC 3 provided inside ofthe cover 2. In the present embodiment, the cover 2 serves as anattachment which forms the detection position (detection surface) 2 a.

Note that there are multiple types of the touch panel 1. There areroughly two types: a resistive (pressure-sensitive) touch panel thatconverts a physical contact on a panel surface into electricinformation; and a capacitance touch panel that detects a small electricsignal from a hand or a finger touched on the panel surface. Thecapacitance touch panel has high sensitivity, and easy to respond to adetailed operation, so that it is considered to be a mainstream in thefuture. However, the capacitance touch panel is higher in cost than theresistive touch panel. Therefore, in the present embodiment, theresistive (pressure-sensitive) touch panel is employed.

The present embodiment shows the image forming apparatus handling A4sheets. In the image forming apparatus 100, the widths and depths of theimage forming apparatus main body 101 and the image reading apparatus201 are substantially the same. The image forming apparatus 100 has theoperation portion 10, which uses the touch panel 1 of a predeterminedsize (here, 5 inches), provided to project toward the front side of theapparatus from the main body. Since the operation portion 10 is providedto project from the main body, the operation portion 10 can be tilted onthe spot, whereby a variety of users from tall users to users inwheelchairs can use the operation portion 10 always at an easy-to-seeangle.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the outer appearance of the operation portionaccording to the first embodiment, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of theouter appearance of the operation portion, FIG. 5 is a sectional view ofthe operation portion, and FIGS. 6A and 6B are perspective viewsillustrating a state in which the NFC is used while the mobile device(the object to be detected) is brought close to the operation portionaccording to the first embodiment.

In the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, thedetection position 2 a for the NFC 3 is disposed on one side (right sideas viewed from the front of the apparatus) of the touch panel 1 asviewed from the front of the apparatus. According to this configuration,an amount of projection of the operation portion 10 toward the front ofthe image forming apparatus main body 101 is suppressed. The detectionposition 2 a for the NFC 3 is a detection surface facing the mobiledevice which is brought close to the operation portion 10 and serves asa target of near field communication. The detection position 2 a servingas the detection surface is arranged to be adjacent to the touch panel 1so that the mobile device (object to be detected) facing the detectionposition 2 a overlaps the touch panel 1. In addition, the detectionposition 2 a for the NFC 3 projects from the touch panel 1 with respectto the surface (the same as the surface of the touch panel 1) of theoperation portion 10. In addition, the detection position (detectionsurface) 2 a for the NFC 3 is inclined with respect to the panel surfaceof the touch panel 1 such that the distance between the mobile deviceoverlapping the touch panel 1 and the touch panel 1 is larger than thedistance between the mobile device facing the detection position 2 a andthe detection position 2 a. Further, the detection position 2 a for theNFC 3 is inclined with respect to the surface of the operation portion10 such that the side close to the touch panel 1 is higher than the sidedistant from the touch panel 1. Specifically, the edge of the detectionposition (detection surface) 2 a close to the touch panel projects morethan the edge of the detection position 2 a distant from the touch panel1 in the normal direction of the panel surface of the touch panel 1.More specifically, the detection position 2 a of the cover 2corresponding to the NFC 3 is inclined so that the projection amountfrom the touch panel 1 on the side close to the touch panel 1 is about 5mm and the projection amount from the touch panel 1 on the side distantfrom the touch panel 1 is about 0 to 1 mm. In the present embodiment,the detection position 2 a for the NFC 3 is formed to be inclined whilethe surface thereof projects, that is, the detection position 2 a isformed to be higher than the surface of the touch panel 1 by about 5 mmon the side close to the touch panel 1 (left side) and by about 0.5 mmon the side distant from the touch panel (right side). According to thisconfiguration, when the mobile device 20 is brought close to thedetection position 2 a for the NFC 3, the mobile device 20 can be guidedto get close to the detection position 2 a, which is the projectingsurface and inclined surface of the cover 2, according to the shape ofthe detection position 2 a. This configuration can prevent the mobiledevice 20 or the hand or finger holding the mobile device 20 from beingtouched on the touch panel 1. Note that the projection amount (5 mm inthe present embodiment) of the edge of the detection position (detectionsurface) 2 a, close to the touch panel, relative to the panel surface ofthe touch panel 1 is based on the lower limit of a communicationdistance determined by the standard of the near field communication.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, when the user flicks on the screen ofthe touch panel 1 for page feed or the like, the user often moveshis/her finger in the vertical direction or in the horizontal directionfrom the center of the touch panel 1. At that time, if the touch panel 1has a small size such as 5 inches or lower, and the user flicks a fingerY in the direction of an arrow A from the center of the touch panel 1,the user moves his/her finger to the outside of the touch panel 1. Forexample, in the touch panel 1 of 5-inch size, the width of the screen isabout 11 cm, and if the user flicks on the screen from the centerthereof by 50 mm, the finger Y reaches the end of the screen. In theflick operation, the user still moves his/her finger on the positiondistant from the touch panel 1, so that the user is likely to touch onthe projection shape of the detection position 2 a for the NFC 3arranged adjacent to the touch panel 1. The width of the screen of the7-inch touch panel 1 is about 15 cm, and depending on the flick plus theamount of movement of the finger Y, the user is likely to touch on theprojection shape of the detection position 2 a for the NFC 3 arrangedadjacent to the touch panel 1.

In view of this, the detection position 2 a of the cover 2 correspondingto the NFC 3 is disposed on the position not in the vicinity of thecenterline CL of the touch panel 1. Specifically, the detection position2 a for the NFC 3 is disposed in such a way that the upper end of theprojection shape of the detection position 2 a for the NFC 3 isseparated from the centerline CL of the touch panel 1 by a distance B of5 mm or more. In the present embodiment, the detection position 2 a forthe NFC 3 is disposed to be separated from the centerline CL of thetouch panel 1 by the distance B which is 13 mm. This configuration canprevent the projection shape of the detection position 2 a for the NFC 3from interfering with the flick operation, whereby a sense ofstrangeness caused by the touch on the projection shape during the flickoperation can be suppressed. Herein, the centerline CL of the touchpanel 1 is a straight line (one-dot-chain line in FIG. 3) passingthrough the center C of the touch panel 1 in the horizontal direction.

As another flick operation, there is a case in which a starting point ofthe flick is determined by a layout of the screen. For example, it isthe case in which, for line feed, the user touches the vicinity of theline to be moved and flicks on the screen. In the present embodiment, atouch panel screen for horizontal writing is used, and the left-aligneddisplay is on the screen. Therefore, any location on the left side ofthe screen of the touch panel 1 becomes a starting point. The userflicks the screen vertically from this point, so that there is no chancethat the user touches on the projection shape of the detection position2 a for the NFC 3 arranged on the right side of the touch panel 1.

On the other hand, when a touch panel screen for vertical writing isused, the starting point of the flick is on the inner side (upper sideof the screen of the touch panel 1 in FIG. 3) of the screen. The userflicks the screen horizontally from the starting point. Therefore, theuser does not touch on the projection shape of the detection position 2a for the NFC 3 arranged on the side (lower side of the screen of thetouch panel 1 in FIG. 3) close to the front side with respect to thecenter of the touch panel 1. Note that, if the touch panel screen forvertical writing is used, the detection position 2 a for the NFC 3 maybe disposed on the front side (lower side of the screen of the touchpanel 1 in FIG. 3) of the touch panel 1 in FIG. 3, not on the right sideof the touch panel 1.

In addition, to make an access with the NFC 3, the user needs to holdthe mobile device 20 within a predetermined distance from the NFC 3 (seeFIG. 6). Therefore, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the detectionposition 2 a of the cover 2 corresponding to the NFC 3 is formed with amark (cross mark) 2 b for clearly indicating the detection position, asa mark over which the mobile device 20 is to be held. That is, the mark2 b indicates that the mobile device 20 needs to face this mark.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the detection position 2 a for the NFC 3 isprovided to project from the touch panel 1 with respect to the topsurface of the operation portion 10. In addition, the detection position2 a for the NFC 3 is inclined such that the projection amount from thetouch panel 1 on the side (left side) close to the touch panel 1 isabout 5 mm and the projection amount from the touch panel 1 on the side(right side) distant from the touch panel 1 is about 0.5 mm. Accordingto this configuration, the distance from the NFC 3 (specifically, an NFCdetection substrate having a detection portion) to the detectionposition 2 a of the cover 2 corresponding to the NFC 3 is set as 5 mm orlower. This is to satisfy the lower limit of 5 mm in the detectionstandard of the NFC 3 of the mobile device 20.

The NFC 3 is disposed to be adjacent to the detection position 2 a ofthe cover 2 facing the NFC 3 in a parallel manner, whereby the height ofthe detection position 2 a for the NFC 3 can be set to be larger than 5mm.

As illustrated in FIG. 6A, in the operation portion 10 having thedetection position 2 a for the NFC 3 disposed on the right side of thetouch panel 1, the detection position 2 a for the NFC 3 is disposed onthe front side of the apparatus with respect to the center of the touchpanel 1. Thus, the hand T holding the mobile device 20 is on theposition outside of the touch panel 1, whereby misoperation by a fingeror the like can be prevented.

As illustrated in FIG. 6B, even in the case in which a compact mobiledevice 20 (with a width of about 80 mm) held by the hand T is broughtinto touch with the detection position 2 a for the NFC 3, the surface ofthe detection position 2 a for the NFC 3 is inclined while projecting.Thus, the end of the mobile device 20 close to the touch panel is liftedfrom the surface of the touch panel 1 by a predetermined distance (here,about 15 mm), which prevents the finger from being accidentally in touchwith the touch panel 1.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the userholds the mobile device 20 over the detection position 2 a correspondingto the NFC 3, misoperation not intended by the user can be prevented,such as the touch of the edge of the mobile device or the fingersholding the mobile device on the touch panel.

Second Embodiment

An operation portion according to the second embodiment will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 7. The schematic configuration of animage forming apparatus and the basic configuration of the operationportion are similar to those in the first embodiment described above, sothat the description thereof will be omitted. In addition, in thepresent embodiment, the components functionally equivalent to those inthe first embodiment are identified by the same reference marks.

In the present embodiment, a position different from the detectionposition 2 a of the cover 2 corresponding to the NFC 3 is projected fromthe touch panel 1, and is inclined such that the side close to the touchpanel 1 is higher than the side distant from the touch panel 1, as inthe detection position.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the outer appearance of the operationportion according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 7, a projection 4 isprovided to have the same plane as the projecting inclined surface ofthe detection position 2 a for the NFC. In contrast to the projectionshape of the detection position 2 a provided on the front side of theoperation portion 10 with respect to the centerline CL of the touchpanel 1, the projection 4 is provided on the inner side of the operationportion 10 with respect to the centerline CL of the touch panel 1.

If a large-sized tablet is used as the mobile device, the operationportion 10 may be difficult to be visible depending on the position ofthe NFC of the tablet. In this case, the inner side of the tablet is intouch with the touch panel 1 because the inner side of the tabletbecomes lower than the front side with respect to the operation portion10, for example, resulting in that misdetection might be caused.

In view of this, in the present embodiment, the above-mentionedprojection 4 is provided on the inner side of the operation portion 10,separately from the detection position 2 a for the NFC 3 provided on thefront side of the operation portion 10. According to this configuration,the projection 4 is first in touch with the tablet and receives thetablet on the inner side of the operation portion 10. Therefore, whenthe user brings the tablet close to the detection position 2 a for theNFC with this state, the tablet can be received by two positions, thedetection position 2 a and the projection 4. Thus, misoperation on thetouch panel 1 can be prevented, even if a large-sized tablet is used asthe mobile device 20.

In addition, the projection 4 is formed on the position distant from thecenterline CL of the touch panel 1 by 5 mm or more (in the presentembodiment, 30 mm). Therefore, the projection 4 does not interfere withthe flick operation when the user operates the touch panel 1.

Third Embodiment

An operation portion according to the third embodiment will be describedwith reference to FIG. 8. The schematic configuration of an imageforming apparatus and the basic configuration of the operation portionare similar to those in the first embodiment described above, so thatthe description thereof will be omitted. In addition, in the presentembodiment, the components functionally equivalent to those in the firstembodiment are identified by the same reference marks.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the detectionposition 2 a for the NFC 3 and the projection 4 are disposed on theposition not interfering with the flick operation when the user operatesthe touch panel 1, in consideration of the case in which the touch panel1 has relatively a small size. However, the present invention is notlimited thereto.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the appearance of the operation portionaccording to the third embodiment. In the operation portion 10illustrated in FIG. 8, the touch panel 1 has a size large enoughrelative to the flick operation. In this case, the projection shape ofthe detection position 2 a of the cover 2 corresponding to the NFC 3 maybe provided entirely, not partially, on the right side, as illustratedin FIG. 8.

When the touch panel 1 has a size large enough relative to the flickoperation as described above, the projection shape of the detectionposition 2 a corresponding to the NFC 3 does not interfere with theflick operation, even if the projection shape is provided entirely onthe right side, and further, accidental misoperation upon the detectionby the NFC can be prevented.

Fourth Embodiment

An operation portion according to the fourth embodiment will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. The schematic configurationof an image forming apparatus and the basic configuration of theoperation portion are similar to those in the first embodiment describedabove, so that the description thereof will be omitted. In addition, inthe present embodiment, the components functionally equivalent to thosein the above-mentioned embodiments are identified by the same referencemarks.

The above-mentioned embodiments have described the configuration inwhich the operation portion 10 does not have an information input unitexcept for the touch panel. However, the configuration is not limitedthereto. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the operation portion 10 according tothe present embodiment includes various keys such as a tenkey 40 and astart key 41 as an information unit except for the touch panel.

Meanwhile, the mounting size of the touch panel 1 to the image formingapparatus has gradually been increased, starting with an apparatus thatcan output a large-sized sheet such as an A3 sheet, and a touch panelwith 10-inch or greater diagonal is not uncommon. The touch panel 1 inFIG. 9 has 10-inch size, and is provided with various keys describedabove on the right side.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, in order to prevent the horizontal size of thetouch panel 1 from being further increased, the NFC 3 is disposed on thenear side (front side) of the touch panel 1, out of the locations aroundthe touch panel 1, in the operation portion 10 according to the presentembodiment. Specifically, the detection position 2 a of the cover 2 forthe NFC 3 is provided not on the right or left of the touch panel 1, buton the near side of the touch panel 1.

While the detection range of the mobile device 20 by the NFC 3 may bewide such as about 100 mm as used for an automatic ticket gate forrailways, the detection range of the operation portion 10 in the presentembodiment is about 20 mm, in consideration of balance among function,cost, and size. Therefore, to make an access with the NFC, the userneeds to bring the mobile device close to the touch panel 1 and hold themobile device over the touch panel 1 so that the mobile device fallswithin this range.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an appearance of the operation portion10 according to the fourth embodiment, and FIGS. 10A and 10B are sideviews of the operation portion 10 according to the fourth embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, in the operation portion 10 according to thepresent embodiment, the detection position 2 a of the cover 2corresponding to the NFC 3 is provided on the near side of the touchpanel 1. In addition, the detection position 2 a of the cover 2corresponding to the NFC 3 is inclined such that the side close to thetouch panel is higher than the side distant from the touch panel 1.Specifically, an inclined surface 5 having a predetermined anglerelative to the surface of the touch panel 1 is formed on the detectionposition 2 a of the cover 2 corresponding to the NFC 3. This inclinedsurface 5 is formed on the entire horizontal width of the touch panel 1on the near side.

In addition, to make an access with the NFC, the user needs to hold themobile device 20 within a predetermined distance from the NFC 3.Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the detection position 2 a of thecover 2 corresponding to the NFC 3 is formed with a mark (cross mark) 2b for clearly indicating the detection position, as a mark over whichthe mobile device 20 is to be held.

When the user holds the mobile device 20 over the mark 2 b on theoperation portion 10, an effect of leading the user to hold the mobiledevice 20 over the inclined surface 5 including the detection position 2a in a parallel manner can be expected. The inclined surface 5 has anangle by which the side close to the touch panel 1 is high. Therefore,if the user holds the mobile device 20 over the inclined surface 5 orallows the mobile device 20 to abut on the inclined surface 5 in aparallel manner, the end 20 a of the mobile device 20 close to the touchpanel 1 is naturally lifted up. FIG. 10B illustrates the mobile device20 in the state of abutting on the mark 2 b (see FIG. 9) on the inclinedsurface 5, and it is understood from this figure that the end 20 a ofthe mobile device 20 is led in the direction away from the touch panel1.

As described above, due to the formation of the inclined surface 5, thepresent embodiment provides an effect of reducing misoperation on thetouch panel 1 by the mobile device 20 at low cost and with a simpleconfiguration without entailing an increase in cost for the input deviceincluding the operation portion and degrading design.

Note that the inclined surface 5 is not necessarily provided on theentire horizontal width of the operation portion 10. The configurationin which the inclined surface 5 is partially provided can also providethe effect of reducing misoperation on the screen, so long as theinclined surface 5 is provided in a region larger than the horizontalwidth of the mobile device 20.

Fifth Embodiment

An operation portion according to the fifth embodiment will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. The schematic configuration of animage forming apparatus and the basic configuration of the operationportion are similar to those in the first embodiment described above, sothat the description thereof will be omitted. In addition, in thepresent embodiment, the components functionally equivalent to those inthe above-mentioned embodiments are identified by the same referencemarks.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an appearance of the operation portion10 according to the fifth embodiment, and FIGS. 12A and 12B are sideviews of the operation portion 10 according to the fifth embodiment.

As in the operation portion 10 in the fourth embodiment described above,in the operation portion 10 in the present embodiment, the detectionposition 2 a of the cover 2 corresponding to the NFC 3 is provided onthe near side of the touch panel 1 as illustrated in FIG. 11. Inaddition, the detection position 2 a of the cover 2 corresponding to theNFC 3 is inclined such that the side close to the touch panel is higherthan the side distant from the touch panel 1.

Specifically, an inclined surface 5 having a predetermined anglerelative to the surface of the touch panel 1 is formed on the detectionposition 2 a of the cover 2 corresponding to the NFC 3. Further, asillustrated in FIGS. 12A and 12B, this inclined surface 5 is aprojecting inclined surface projecting from the surface of the cover 2,which is substantially the same as the surface of the touch panel 1, bya predetermined amount (projection amount) L.

In addition, as in the embodiment described above, the detectionposition 2 a of the cover 2 corresponding to the NFC 3 is formed with amark (cross mark) 2 b for clearly indicating the detection position, asa mark over which the mobile device 20 is to be held, as illustrated inFIG. 11.

When the user holds the mobile device 20 over the mark 2 b on theoperation portion 10, an effect of leading the user to hold the mobiledevice 20 over the projecting inclined surface 5 including the detectionposition 2 a in a parallel manner can be expected. The projectinginclined surface 5 has an angle by which the side close to the touchpanel 1 is high. Therefore, if the user holds the mobile device 20 overthe projecting inclined surface 5 or allows the mobile device 20 to abuton the projecting inclined surface 5 in a parallel manner, the end 20 aof the mobile device 20 close to the touch panel 1 is naturally liftedup.

In addition, an inclined surface 5 in the present embodiment projectsfrom the surface of the cover 2 in a predetermined amount (projectionamount) L. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 12B, when the user holdsthe mobile device 20 over the mark 2 b, the mobile device 20 abuts onthe inclined surface 5 before abutting on the touch panel 1. Thus, thecontact of the mobile device 20 with the touch panel 1 can be prevented.Specifically, due to this projection amount L, the effect of preventingthe contact of the mobile device 20 with the touch panel 1 can morepositively be obtained.

Notably, the larger the projection amount L is, the more the effect ofpreventing the misoperation on the screen of the touch panel 1 isobtained. However, the projection amount L is not increased unlimitedly.Considering that the detection range of the mobile device 20 by the NFC3 is about 20 mm, if the projection amount L exceeds 20 mm, thedetection of the mobile device 20 cannot be achieved. Therefore, in thelight of the balance between the effect of preventing misoperation andthe detection range, the projection amount L is preferably 10 mm orless, and in the present embodiment (FIGS. 11 and 12), it is 5 mm.

As described above, due to the formation of the projecting inclinedsurface 5, the present embodiment provides an effect of reducingmisoperation on the touch panel 1 by the mobile device 20 at low costand with a simple configuration without entailing an increase in costfor the input device including the operation portion and degradingdesign.

Note that the horizontal size of the projecting inclined surface 5 maybe smaller than the horizontal size of the mobile device 20, or may beequal to the entire horizontal size of the operation portion 10. This isbecause, if the projection amount L is equal, the effect of reducing themisoperation is not so different.

In addition, the projecting inclined surface 5, which is the portion ofthe detection position 2 a of the cover 2 corresponding to the NFC 3, isnot necessarily formed integral with the surface 30 of the cover 2 onthe operation portion 10, and may be configured to be detachablyattached to the operation portion 10.

Other Embodiments

While a resistive (pressure-sensitive) touch panel that converts aphysical contact on a panel surface into electric information isemployed as a touch panel in the embodiments described above, the touchpanel is not limited thereto. A capacitance touch panel that detects asmall electric signal from a hand or a finger touched on the panelsurface may be used.

In addition, other image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copyingmachine, and a facsimile device, or other image forming apparatus suchas a multifunction peripheral having these functions may be used as animage forming apparatus. When the present invention is applied to aninput device used for these image forming apparatuses, the similareffect can be obtained.

The present invention can prevent accidental misoperation on the touchpanel due to a contact between a mobile device or a user's hand holdingthe mobile device and the touch panel, during communication with themobile device via near field communication.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No.2016-087223, filed Apr. 25, 2016, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an imageforming apparatus main body configured to form an image on a sheet; andan input device disposed at a front side of the image forming apparatusmain body, the input device including: a touch panel configured toreceive an instruction from a user by touching operation on a panelsurface; and a cover portion disposed beside the touch panel in a widthdirection that is perpendicular to a vertical direction and to afront-rear direction of the image forming apparatus main body, the coverportion including a mark as a target for a holding over position for amobile device for a near fleld communication, wherein the touch panel isconfigured to be capable of operating by a flick operation in the widthdirection, wherein the mark is disposed at a position deviated from acenterline that elongates in the width direction and passes through acenter of the touch panel in a direction perpendicular to the widthdirection in a plane of the touch panel.
 2. The image forming apparatusaccording to Claim 1, further comprising a near fleld communicationportion, wherein the cover portion covers the near fleld communicationportion.
 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe mark is positioned below the centerline in a direction perpendicularto the width direction in the plane of the touch panel.
 4. The imageforming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cover portion isdisposed at a right side of the touch panel in the width direction inthe plane of the touch panel.
 5. The image forming apparatus accordingto Claim 1, wherein the cover portion has a detection surface portion onwhich the mark is formed, and the detection surface portion is projectedin a thickness direction of the touch panel.
 6. The image formingapparatus according to Claim 5, wherein a projection amount of thedetection surface portion at a near side to the touch panel is largerthan a projection amount of the detection surface portion at a far sideto the touch portion.
 7. The image forming apparatus according to Claim6, wherein the detection surface portion is inclined with respect to thepanel surface of the touch panel.
 8. The image forming apparatusaccording to Claim 1, wherein the input device is configured to betilted with respect to the image forming apparatus main body.
 9. Theimage forming apparatus according to Claim 1, further comprising a frontcover portion that is disposed on the front side of the image formingapparatus, wherein the input device is disposed above the front coverportion in the vertical direction.
 10. The image forming apparatusaccording to Claim 1, further comprising a sheet discharge portion thatis disposed on the image forming apparatus main body and discharges thesheet on which an image was formed, wherein the input device is disposedabove the sheet discharge portion in the vertical direction.
 11. Theimage forming apparatus according to Claim 1, further comprising astorage portion that stores the sheet, wherein the input device isdisposed above the storage portion in the vertical direction.
 12. Theimage forming apparatus according to Claim 1, further comprising animage reading portion that is disposed above the image forming apparatusin the vertical direction and is configured to read an image on thesheet, wherein the input device is disposed at the front side than theimage reading portion in the front-rear direction.
 13. The image formingapparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the mark is disposed at aposition deviated downward with respect to the centerline below in adirection perpendicular to the width direction in a plane of the touchpanel.